Chapter 76 – The Eye of Trouble (5)

The plateau was located in a rather high vantage point. The mountains outlines could be seen past this green forest that stretches for miles. There were clouds just above and the hunters who urge their mount to climb this place looked at them using binoculars. It was rather windy up the plateau. Joshua stood near the edges despite that. He was looking at the winding river that connects to this rigid valley.

“This is quite a sight isn’t it?” said Silo who stiffly walked near Joshua.

“Afraid of heights?” asked Joshua.

“Not really,” Silo shook his head. “Just a bit chilly here. And that you know plunging down this height might cause your body to splatter.”

“So you are afraid of the heights, got it.”

Silo was displeased by that. He looked at Joshua with this big frown. “If that’s what you think.”

“Right...So why are we here in this place, Silo?”

“We need to set up camp here. Down there below the forest is too dangerous. Dire animals and dire monsters might attack us. In here would see anything a mile away. And look at that.”

Silo pointed to a direction. Joshua lowered his eyes and he could see a piece of land dyed in blood. It was far away from him but the color of red made Joshua know that there was a massacre that happened there.

“Are those beasts?”

“It’s a tower of dead carcasses. Want to take a look?”

Joshua nodded. He took the binoculars from Silo’s hand and pointed it to where the red land was. There, he saw the corpses of dire monsters piled up into a tower. Their stomachs slit open. Their organs were castrated and dissected. Eyeballs, livers, kidneys and all sorts were littered and torn in the ground. It was a horrible sight of animals swimming in their own pool of blood.

It disturbed Joshua enough to pull his eyes away from it. “Horrible.”

“It sure is. But you can see that?”

“What?”

“Take a look again.”

Joshua pointed the binoculars back to the tower of corpses. “So what do you want me to see?”

“Look at their wounds.”

Joshua squinted and observed the open wounds of the corpses. He noticed that the wounds of the corpses were cauterized. As if it was burned by something enough to seal the wounds.

“Hey Silo. Are there dire monsters that can spit lasers here?”

“What’s a laser?”

“Oh right, I mean fire? Are there any monsters here that can spit fire?”

“I don’t think so. Most of the wyverns and land dragons here have been hunted to death. So why do you ask?”

“Their stomachs are burned by something. They got cauterized. Now that I am seeing all of this, it looks like the work of something that really wants to study the innards of these creatures. Are we sure that they aren’t humans? Are there any tribes that are obsessed with body research here? As far as I can see, they don’t seem to have eaten these corpses.”

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“No idea what you are saying here, but I am guessing that whatever creature that did was sadistic enough to do this. Anyway, we should just focus on finding it and learn some way to kill it miserably.”

Joshua did not like that. Things like this were worrying enough. Joshua could not accept that simple reasoning. Find it then learn some way to kill it miserably? Joshua thinks that’s stupid. The fact that the enemy they were facing could make a tower of corpses was worrying enough. But they are blinded by vengeance that Joshua could not help but worry.

The hunters loaded the entire with tents. The hunters readied their rifles and made sure that their bombs were ready. The camp did not have any sort of cheery mood. Most of the people had grim faces. Silo and Joshua were quite aloof. They weren’t cheery for any reason.

Most of the people here wanted things to be done. Kars, the leader of this hunting team was angry enough. But he didn’t let people make a stupid mistake. He understands that their enemy was something strong. If it wasn’t strong then it wouldn’t have easily killed those hardened scouts. So Kars made everyone prepare. There was no happy drinking or chatting. The Camp was rather tense and stiff. Most of the hunters were focused on making sure that they were armed and ready.

Joshua also readied himself. Unlike the stronghold, Joshua did not have access to potent materials. He had only a few items in him. But it was enough for him to make smoke bombs and Thermite bombs that might help in the hunt. He got the ingredients from the smiths of the town. As for the other ingredients he bought from traveling peddlers who visited the town.

But even with the rifle, pistol and the bombs at his disposal. Joshua doesn’t think that everything will go well. The thought of the tower of corpses made Joshua worried. Those things he saw were scary enough. They were dead and mutilated but their appearance was something Joshua could not imagine facing. Whatever that thing that killed those dire monsters, it was strong enough to mutilate and dissect them thoroughly.

So Joshua was worried that they might not truly be enough. But even so, Joshua wasn’t here to take revenge. He wasn’t here to slay some evil monster. He was here to protect a friend he recently made. He doesn’t know what he was thinking coming here. Maybe he was just a soft-hearted fellow. Maybe he was an idiot. But all in all, he came here because his heart told him: “Go and protect your new friend.”

Normally, one would think how stupid it is to do that. It is their life. Why should Joshua care about he spend it? But the thing was that Joshua wanted to believe that maybe he can help this friend out. He wanted to give this foolish friend of his protection. Maybe he’s only the one that thinks this way. But why does it matter? He was already here facing this danger he doesn’t know off.

So he doesn’t want to falter and give in to fear. He wanted to be stoic about it and make it through this trouble.